New K-8 school approved for Western Heights area
By Ken Leinart
The Knox County Board of Education approved a proposed new kindergarten through eighth grade (K-8) school to serve the Mechanicsville, Lonsdale and Beaumont (MLB) communities.
The board was given a presentation on a new school project during its Monday, Feb. 3., workshop session and approval for the project passed by a 7-0-1 vote during the board’s Thursday, Feb. 6, regular meeting.
Third District’s Patricia Fontenot-Ridley passed on the vote and Seventh District’s Steve Triplett was absent from Thursday’s meeting.
The new school is the result of a $40 million HUD grant awarded in 2022 to “revamp” Western Heights. That project is estimated to bring an additional 400 school-age children to the MLB school zones (West View, Maynard, Lonsdale Elementary Schools, and Beaumont Magnet Academy).
Earlier this year Knox County Schools earmarked $66 million in Capital Improvements funds to address the growth in that area.
Expanding current schools, however, is problematic, Assistant Superintendent of Operations for Knox County Schools Garfield Adams told the board during Monday’s presentation.
“The MLB campuses are landlocked,” Adams told the board.
A new school would also address other concerns in the community. Currently, there are no pre-K schools serving the community.
Also, students leaving the MLB elementary campuses are sent to middle schools outside of their communities.
Adams said that practice leaves a void in peers from the students’ communities when they reach middle school.
“We want to get away from that,” Adams said of busing students out of their communities.
The new K-8 school would be larger than elementary schools in the county, with a planned 247,000 square feet to accommodate 1,000 elementary school students and 600 middle school students, but Adams said a larger school would allow for more “programming,” or choice in types of classes offered, and would offer more teachers, as well as better tutor and after school opportunities for students.
He said smaller schools often have to share resources, especially support staff such as counselors.
In the proposal, Maynard Elementary School and Beaumont Magnet Academy will be closed. West View Elementary School will be converted to a dedicated pre-K campus. Those students, plus a portion of Lonsdale students who live in Region 5, of which the schools are zoned, as well as expected new students and transfers from outside the zone, would make up the elementary school body.
Elementary school students would no longer be sent to Northwest, Vine, Whittle Springs, and Bearden Middle Schools.
Adams pointed out The Rev. Dr. John Butler (Dist. 1 Board Representative) has been working on a solution since HUD first announced the $40 million grant in 2022.
“He’s talked to a lot of people, attended a lot of meetings,” Adams said.
Adams added that in the past few weeks there have been eight community meetings with parents and staff of the schools in question to get input from them as well.
With the passage of the proposed project Thursday night the Knox County Board of Education’s next step will be a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Knox County for a land swap, expected to come before the board during its March 2025 meeting.
Knox County Schools will receive the old Rule High School site at 1919 Vermont Avenue. Knox County will receive Maynard Elementary School and Beaumont Magnet Academy.
Adams said the old Rule High site is ideal for the new school. Not just because of its proximity, but also because of its historical importance.
The next phase will be design and taking bids for the project, which would go through 2025-2026.
“It does take a year for this step,” Adams told the board.
Construction of the project would run from 2026 through 2028 with tentative plans for the school to open for the 2028-2029 school year.
Knox County School System Superintendent Dr. Jon Rysewyk said typically a principal for a new school is named before completion to allow for planning. He said that is also the time frame when a name for the new facility would be decided with heavy input coming from the community and other stakeholders.
